Are You Proud?
by Pia O'Leary
Summary: One-shot! This works with Time To Burn and First Day of My Life. Harry and Mattie visit their parents' graves. Not much of a plot, just their thoughts. Please read and review!


Are You Proud?

"Hi Mum." Harry sat down in front of the marble slab; he traced the words: _Lillian Matilda Potter, Loving wife, mother, sister, friend and honorary Marauder. Our angel from above._ He chuckled; the "honorary Marauder" part never failed to make him smile. "I know I haven't been here for a while ... I'm sorry. I've been busy with Auror training and everything. I'm taking my final test tomorrow and then I'll get my certification." Harry smiled proudly; he'd be an Auror just like his dad.

"Halo, Dad." He turned to the slab next to his mothers: _James Aaron Potter. Husband, wife, brother, and Marauder. Always in our hearts, Prongs._ "Sirius and Remus say hello. Gina and Toni too. I can't believe how hard these tests have been ... almost as bad as N.E.W.T.'s. But Hermione was there for those so they didn't seem half as bad. I've got Ron though ... can't believe we'll be working together; it seems like the most natural thing in the world. Remus says we're just like you and Sirius were." Harry smiled thinking of Ron; his best friend ... no, his brother.

"I'm proposing to Mattie tomorrow ... strange huh? Did you ever think we'd get together on our own, Mum?" Harry smiled as the answer to that question came to his head; of course she did. "I'm nervous. I really hope she says yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I couldn't imagine life without her. She's my everything ... I know that sounds really corny but its true.

"I'm kind of worried about proposing ... I don't want her to stop playing Quidditch, but I don't know if it will work. It tears me apart every time she has to leave. Then I don't see her for weeks and I feel like I'm empty ... like there's this huge void in my life that I simply can't forget. But then she comes back and ... she kisses me and all of that disappears. She makes it all right, you know? But I don't think I could go every day for the rest of my life like that. I know it's horribly selfish of me, but I want her here all the time, with me." Harry sighed and plucked a few blades of grass from the ground, playing with them in his hands. "And if she does say yes and we get married ... bloody hell that would be like heaven.

"She's perfect, she really is. I don't think there's anything she's not good at. I love her so much ... she's the first person that ever said that, you know? I mean, that I remember. It was in sixth year ... I – I was having a bad year that year. Everything was just really messed up and I was shutting everyone out. She took me to the pitch and made me tell her everything that was going on. I cried and she didn't care ... she just hugged me and let me cry. Then I said I missed the love that I didn't get from the Dursleys that I would have gotten from you. And she said that she loved me ... she said she loved me enough to make up for whatever the 'bloody Dursleys did or didn't do'." Harry laughed, remembering that night.

"I can talk to her ... I think she's the only one who really, truly knows how I feel. Ron and Hermione, and frankly everyone, try and understand. I love them all for it; they're great. But she and I ... we have this connection. I think that's your fault Mum. Sirius said you had us playing even before we could talk ... thanks." Harry made himself a little more comfortable in the warm grass. It was spring and the weather was starting to get pleasantly warmer.

"Ron's proposed to Hermione; they're so happy together." Harry said it, sounding genuinely happy for his two best friends. He laughed, "It's so bizarre that in first year Ron and I didn't like her because we thought she was a know-it-all. How very wrong we were. Then how Ron refused to admit that he even liked her until fifth year. Mattie and I had a devil of a time getting those two together. But thank god for that ... we probably would have never gotten together ourselves if it hadn't been for them." Harry smiled, thinking about the Halloween Ball during fifth year.

"Strange to think I only graduated last May. 'Mione's getting her teaching degree this summer. She'll start teaching at Hogwarts next year, taking over for Flitwick ... kind of strange to see him retire, but 'Mione's bloody brilliant at Charms. She'll be a really awesome teacher ... I mean she got Ron and I to pass our O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s with good marks.

"Remus is going back to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts ... he was the best teacher I ever had, I think. Strange how all that time and he kept everything about Mattie a complete secret. I'm not mad or anything, just surprised. Sirius too. They miss you a lot, I can tell. They always talk about how much I remind them of you both, and how Mattie looks exactly like Mae with Bryant's demeanor. I like it when they say I look like you and act like you ... it makes me feel like I have more of a connection to you.

"Ginny's married to Draco, can you believe it? Sirius told me about you and Lucius in fifth year and everything. I can understand why he ended up like he did ... Draco too. But Ginny's changed him, for the better. He's kind now ... he loves her I can tell. He's so different from the Draco, or rather Malfoy, I knew in first year. He's not stuck-up anymore; he inherited Lucius' business and mansion and money. He donated like a quarter of the money to charities and dismantled the business, since it reeked of the Dark Arts." Harry laughed, "Ginny re-did the mansion. It's bright and ... happy now. Never thought you'd hear that about the Malfoy mansion huh?

"Oh! And I almost forgot! Ginny's pregnant! Molly nearly had kittens she's so excited. It's not like it's her first grandchild, Bill, Fred, and George all have kids. But, you know Molly. She's flipping out over Hermione and Ron's wedding too. Her and Elizabeth have starting having planning meetings ... all I can say is Ron, Draco, the rest of the guys, and I stay far, far away from The Burrow when those meetings are happening." Harry shuddered slightly; it was bad enough with Ron freaking out over which suits the groomsmen were going to wear. Unfortunately for Ron, there were a lot of groomsmen and they didn't all agree, well mostly Fred and George disagreed with everyone else. There was Harry, the best man, followed by Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Oliver and Draco. For the bridesmaids, there was Mattie, the maid of honor, followed by Ginny, Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Fleur (Bill's wife), Penelope, and Hermione's cousin Katherine.

"I'm really lucky to have them ... all of them. The Weasley's have adopted me, unofficially. And Sirius, Remus, Hermione, all of them ... I don't know what I did to deserve them, but I'm sure as hell glad I did it. I miss you both so much, but you really couldn't have picked better people to be my family." Harry smiled then, remembering, he took the bouquet of Lilies he had laid on the grass next to him. He placed them in the vase above his mother's grave and sighed. "Not nearly as beautiful as you were, but they'll have to do." He sniffed slightly and smiled lovingly down at the name. He pressed two fingers to his lips and then to his mother's grave; he did the same to his father's grave, wiping a single tear away as he did so. No matter how often he came and talked to them, it never ceased to affect him.

"I'll be back in two days. I'll need to tell you about my test and Mattie after all." Harry smiled and waved to his parents as he got up and headed out of the cemetery. "I hope I make you proud. Are you proud of me, Mum and Dad?" he whispered as he closed the cemetery gates and looked, affectionately, back at their graves.

... ... ... ...

"Afternoon, Dad, Mum." Mattie smiled as she flopped down on the grass. "I know I was just here yesterday, but I've been missing you. Tomorrow's the anniversary ... everyone will be coming down; Remus, Sirius, Toni, and Gina. I wanted to see you before everyone else was here ... really get a chance to talk to you. I feel horrible that I've been away so much. Don't get me wrong, I love Quidditch, but I love it here too. I've been kind of neglecting you for Harry and I'm feeling rather guilty about it." Mattie laughed; she knew from all her Pensieve journeys and everyone's reminiscing what her mother's reaction would be. "I know, you don't mind, but I do. I know you'd be happy to hear that Harry and I are together.

"I'm really excited to see him tomorrow. I've decided that I'm quitting Quidditch! I love it, but I love Harry more. I'm going to teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts, yes McGonagall's retiring. It's kind of sad but she's been teaching there since you went there! I will be great ... 'Mione's going to teach Charms and I'm going to teach Transfiguration. Harry and Ron will both be Aurors. 'Mione and Ron are getting married, isn't that brilliant? I can't wait until the end of next month; I'll be done with Quidditch and I'll actually get to help 'Mione plan her wedding. She's asked me to be the Maid of Honor. Then, of course, I'll get to see Harry more ... frankly, I'll get to see Harry period.

"I really love him ... Remus says I love him like you loved Dad, Mum. I'm still amazed that he, Ron, and Hermione didn't flip out in fifth year when I told them everything. I fully expected them to leave and never want to be my friend again." Mattie chuckled; she had been ecstatic that she was wrong. "I can't believe that was five years ago already. It feels like yesterday I was just walking into their compartment, embarrassed that I had interrupted their conversation.

"I'm really happy for Ron and Hermione, but is it wrong for me to be jealous? I think that after all this time of me being away ... I don't know. I know he loves me, I can see it. But I can also see that it hurts him ... I'm so glad that it will finally be over. It's been really hard for me to finally make the decision that I'm done, but now that I have I feel so much better. Sirius says I put you to shame, Dad." Mattie beamed; her father had been one of the most brilliant chasers in all of Hogwarts history. "I'm sorry I had to quit, but I'm sure you understand. After all, I would've gotten old and crinkly anyways. Better to quit when you're ahead, right?

"Remus gave me your necklace, Mum. See?" Mattie pulled the necklace out from underneath her jumper. It was a small emerald stone, which had matched her mother's eyes, on a sparkly silver chain. The stone was in the shape of a heart; Bryant had given it to Mae on their first anniversary. And, when he proposed two years later, the engagement ring had matched the necklace. "He says it matches my eyes as well as it matched yours." Mattie smiled fondly at the necklace and fingered it absentmindedly. She glanced at her watch and sighed exasperatedly. "Oh Bugger! I'm supposed to be at Hermione's for dinner as we speak! I love you both so much and I'll be back the day after tomorrow." She kissed her two fingers and pressed it to the marble slabs that marble slabs that marked her parents' graves.

She waved silently as she jogged down the hill to the gate at the front of the cemetery. She turned around and closed the gate; lingering there for a moment. She fingered the necklace as she whispered, "Have I made you proud of me? Are you proud Mum and Dad?" She wiped away a few tears with the back of her sleeve as she turned to leave. Little did she know that in just one day she would be wearing the ring that matched her necklace; the ring that Remus had given to Harry to 'put to good use'.

A/N: Okay, I know it was pretty short and probably not very good. But, the plot bunny bit me and I just had to write this down! Please review, I love to hear what you guys think!


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